LAGUNA, N.M. – Michael Shebala, To’Hajiilee man, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault while in the Pueblo of Laguna. The assaults occurred on February 18, 2021 in front of an unidentified gas station in Laguna.
A federal grand jury convened on May 25, 2021 and indicted Shebala, who is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, on two counts of assault with resulting in serious bodily injury. Shebala is 37 years old and lives in the Navajo village of To’Hajiilee. On April 5, Shebala pleaded guilty to the charges.
According to court records, Shebala shot his first victim, identified as John Doe 1, on Feb. 18, 2021. Shebala pleaded guilty to shooting John Doe 1 in the chest, this assault was serious enough that John Doe 1 needed emergency and extended medical care for the specific injuries occurring to his liver. After shooting John Doe 1, Shebala turned his attention to John Doe 2, whom he shot in the leg, incapacitating him. Shebala then attacked John Doe 2 with a baseball bat. John Doe 2 required emergency medical are for the gunshot wound and for fractures in his skull, femur, and arms as a result of the baseball bat. Both of these assaults occurred in Laguna Pueblo.
Shebala faces a minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life. He is currently in federal custody waiting for a sentencing date, which as of press time has not been scheduled.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Violent Crimes and Gangs Task Force investigated this case with assistance from Laguna Police Department, Navajo Police Department, and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant US Attorney Fredrick T. Mendenhall is prosecuting this case.